Two men shot at outdoor skating rink in midtown Manhattan

November 10, 2013|Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities on Sunday arrested a teenager accused of shooting and wounding two people at a popular outdoor skating rink in midtown Manhattan in what may have been a dispute over a jacket, police said.

Corey Dunton, 16, from New York's Bronx borough, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, assault and weapons possession in connection with the Saturday night shooting of a 14-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man at the rink, police said.

The shooting sparked scenes of chaos at the crowded rink in Bryant Park. Photos and videos posted online showed scores of people fleeing, and one man lying on the ice with what appeared to be a gunshot wound.

Police believe the melee may have erupted over a parka jacket the 20-year-old man was wearing made by Marmot, popularly known as a "biggie" by the young people who covet them.

In January, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead in New York City after refusing to hand over his Marmot jacket, and in 2010 an 18-year-old boy was hit by two cars and killed while fleeing a gang trying to take his Marmot jacket, according to media reports.

The 14-year-old victim in Saturday's attack may have been a bystander, police said. Both victims were in stable condition at a local hospital, police said.

The rink, in Bryant Park near the New York Public Library and a block from Times Square, is surrounded by gift shops and stalls, and draws crowds of people, who wait in line to skate free of charge in the shadow of skyscrapers ringing the park.